Australia have finished on top in their last two ODI series in the UAE – winning 2-1 in September 2012 and 3-2 in 2009 – and hope to continue that streak when they take on Misbah-ul Haq-led Pakistan in a three-match series starting today at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Australia won the one-off Twenty20 match on Sunday comfortably, with spinners Glenn Maxwell (3-13) and Cameron Boyce (2-10) playing a leading role in the six-wicket victory. However, the impressive leg-spinner Boyce is not part of the ODI team.
Pacers Sean Abbott and Kane Richardson also made impressive debuts on Sunday, and bowled to a brilliant line and length.
But it was the return of Johnson that pleased Bailey the most. The Queenslander’s searing pace has been often considered as the leading reason for the resurgence of the Australian Test side, and while he hasn’t taken that wicket-taking form into ODIs, the Australian captain is confident he will make the difference in the series.
Johnson recently pulled out of the Champions League T20 in India because of a rib injury, but he is not back to bowling at full pace in the nets.
“He’s been training, building up his loads. He should be good to go,” Bailey said. “He’s a real strike weapon for us. He adds something that little bit different.
“The beauty of Mitch is that he does something very few people in the world can do. He can get something out of a wicket that no one else can. And in many respects, that’s when he’s at his best. He can change a game quickly. I think particularly in these conditions he will be very valuable.”
The Dubai International Stadium pitch turned from the first ball, and Bailey isn’t expecting anything different in Sharjah.
“We have got to have some good spin options, and we also need to play spin better. That is going to be the key if the wickets are going to be anything like we had on Sunday,” said Bailey.
“In terms of batting against spin, I think it is an ongoing challenge for us. I know that teams are certainly more prone to put spin in their wickets when they know we are coming. But we are continually trying to get better.”
